in ACC, Game Day, Monday Morning QB, Pitt Football, Players 1,127 Words

Monday Morning QB: Northwestern

Well, we’ve had over 775 comments during the bowl game and describing our feelings regarding the loss afterward so I’m not sure there is a whole lot more to say about the specifics of the game itself, that is how the game was actually played out on the field.

Suffice to say two main things happened, at least to my eyes.  Everybody associated with Pitt from the Chancellor through the AD and coaching staff, through the players and into the fan base, were way too overconfident about facing Northwestern.  They just didn’t see a loss coming and I didn’t either.

I felt that we’d use our experienced and bigger OL to establish the ground game.  We’d use Narduzzi’s “take away the run or else” philosophy to hinder their running game then by default let them throw all over the field until we outscored them at the end.

Number two was a funny thing happened on the way to Yankee Stadium.

No one told the Northwestern people that was how it was supposed to be.  Instead they thumbed their collective noses at our vaunted #9 rushing defense, shut down our vaunted #26 rushing game and finished with more points on the board than we did. Whaaaa?

Here is a post-game quote of a question to Narduzzi:

Question.  Pat, do you think you guys were a little bit too geared up to stop the pass? How much did the safety help really prevent you from stopping the run at all?
COACH NARDUZZI:
No, we’re never going to be  geared up to stop the pass, we’re going to be geared
up to stop the run. We didn’t do a good job.

Shades of “We have to run faster.“

Injuries played a part in this loss of course as they always do in college ball but that’s life. Pitt fans are pointing squarely at the referees to be at fault, but those are excuses I think.  The bottom line was that we were sure we’d win and we didn’t.  Northwestern played a hell of a game against us and they won that game on the basis of their strong efforts and personal intensity.

An intensity which was surprisingly missing from our side of the field on Wednesday.  I actually noticed that absent feeling when at the Pitt HQ hotel on Tuesday evening.  I wrote up some of my observations in an article on Tuesday evening.  What I didn’t touch on then was the lack of any concern at all for the merits of our opposing team.  Lot of jolly and fun talk but no real thoughts about the game itself.

We got into a ton of conversations in the pub at Rosie O’Grady’s Saloon – it was chock full of Pitt fans – and very few remarks were made about the actual game itself being played the next day.  Of course we have just had an Offensive Coordinator and an Athletic Director tell us they were leaving after the bowl game and that took up a lot of the conversations… but none about the possibility of leaving New York city with another eight win season.

Just as excited and happy as the Pitt fans were to be in New York, and everyone was since it was a great place to be during the holiday season and the hotel was very nice, the aftermath was exactly the opposite.  Talk about crickets…

When I walked into the Sheraton bar at 7:00 on Tuesday night it was hopping with blue and gold everywhere.  At the same time Wednesday night it was almost devoid of any trace that Pitt people had been there at all.  I still struck up a couple of conversations but they were down and almost bitter about what had happened that afternoon.

It wasn’t just about the loss either – it was about the whole 360 degrees of Pitt football leading up to and through the game. The personnel departures put a damper on things but  I’d say that the overall emotional consensus was that it was plain “SOP” because I heard that phrase 100 times from the halftime of the game at the stadium until I left that hotel on Wednesday night.

But since SOP has no true definition and a thousand faces, and is a basis for whole other article, I’ll just say this; a lot of people laid out a lot of money, time, effort and energy to attend that game and afterward all they could do was complain that ‘nothing seems to change with the Pitt football program’.

Is that true?  I don’t know – but that is sure as hell what people were saying after the game. The fact that a ton of fans checked out of their hotel rooms and went home Wednesday evening speaks volumes.  They we willing to lose $250+ in hotel fees just to get the hell out of town.   Believe me, it was like the locusts went through the lobby and bar.

I asked two guys if they were happy with an eight win season again and one had a telling answer “If you would have asked me that in September I’d have said yes, but now – absolutely not!”   And that is a good point.  Expectations changed during the season. 

They go up or down weekly but to end the regular season on a three game win streak, including beating the #2 team, then coming out and playing like the opponent wasn’t worthy enough to be there was a real head-scratcher.

The worse thing was it seemed like an exact repeat of last year’s effort against Navy albeit with a lesser talented opponent this season.  “Give Pat Narduzzi three weeks to get ready and then bet on the other team” was another funny bit I heard someone say after the game.  Well, he’s nothing if not consistent… two eight win seasons and two blown bowl games.

But I’ll say this about our head coach. That loss wasn’t on him really, it was on everyone who was on the sidelines that day. I do think we as a team went into that game way over-confident and sometimes that isn’t the HC’s doing.  Kids get things into their heads, they read the media and yes, the blogs and the message boards, and they see what others are saying about them and I think that was part of the reason for the loss.

If no one outside the program felt we could lose that game then why should the players?

It was an anti-climax to a decent season and that’s just too bad.  I think every Pitt fan wanted to see concrete progress from Pat Narduzzi’s initial eight win season to an achievable ninth win in 2016.  It was there for the taking. We just didn’t get the job done.

 

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201 thoughts on “Monday Morning QB: Northwestern”

  1. Pretty fair assessment. Northwestern was more focused and you can see in the final moments just how important the win was for NW Coach Fitzgerald.

    I do think the players have to take their share of blame. Consider:

    bungled hand-off (unforced)
    tripping over 2 yard line on obvious TD run (unforced)
    false start by Sr TE on 5 yard line (unforced) … leading to
    INT thrown by Sr QB near goal line
    errant QB snap (unforced) leading to injuring QB
    missed FG (unforced)
    dropped TD pass

    And all of the above committed by players who have been productive all year

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Great article Reed. The only way to rid Pitt of SOP is by winning Bowl games, no matter how minor. Therefore you don’t have this awful Empty feeling, that has no relief in sight, since there are NO MORE games…where the team can redeem itself.

    We have to carry this loss for the next 9 months and for a program that’s been stuck in Neutral for over 3 decades, you just can’t continue to expect people to keep coming back for more of the same.

    And people wonder why Pitt doesn’t draw very well. You just can’t giving people the back of the hand and
    expect all of them to keep coming back for more. Some are going to bail.

    One Step Forward, 2 Steps Back, Keeps you in Neutral and Going Nowhere Fast !

    Liked by 1 person

  3. It was a roller coaster ride of a season with a consistently bad defense.

    Hopefully the defense has better players to plug in for the future because until they become reliable it is going to be hard to win unless the offense scores in excess of 35 plus.

    If they can develop a QB who knows maybe the offense remains formidable because they do have a lot of RB’s and receivers along with bodies at TE and offensive line.

    It would be nice to take the next step in 2017.

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  4. ~ Jimmy, we are bringing in the Max Browne grad transfer QB from Southern Cal to play QB next year.
    Thank God !

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  5. Funny that Pitt could ever be overconfident about any thing or any game.

    I just think it was one of those days when everything went wrong.

    Too many unforced errors, then the injuries to the two most important guys on the field.

    I think the analysis is like saying why the stock market goes up or down, sometimes it just does.

    Unfortunately for Pitt we rarely play a team that self implodes.

    With our defense we can’t afford to only get 3 points on the first 4 possessions.

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  6. @wwb I don’t believe that you accounted for the Henderson fumble in the second half that led to a FG. At least the third time he’s been stripped in a similar circumstance this season.

    Don’t forget NW converting 4-4 on fourth down and converting some long 3rd downs.

    It seemed that NW preyed on trapping Pitt ends shooting gaps. The Golics mentioned this during the broadcast. The funny part is that on one such very successful run on Price’s side they failed to mention that Price was trapped shooting inside the tackle on the outside run.

    Seems like 8-5 would have made many happy at the beginning of the year. Many said as much when Pitt lost to OSU and UNC. They already had those counted as losses. Expectations are funny things. I expected Pitt’s defense to be better than it was last year. The big defensive concern entering the season was the tackle positions. Losing Lafayette Pitts was generally believed to be a good thing. Turns out the tackles and their backups played well.

    Perhaps it was my imagination but it seemed to me that James Conner didn’t show his usual intensity before being injured. Matt Galambos seemed to be the only defensive player p

    Lots of turnover for 2017 on both sides of the ball. It suspect it will be better for the defense, particularly among the linebackers and secondary, but it will take some games for the offense to sort it out with two big changes on the offensive line and QB, RB, TE and WR.

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  7. I received the best Christmas gift last week. Barnes announced that he’s leaving! I can make my scholarship fund contribution and renew my football season tickets with a totally clear conscience!

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  8. 2017 – Over/Under 7 wins….

    I say 7 or under.

    Miami, VT, OKST, NC ST, PSU all L’s.

    I also think UVA gets way better in Bronco’s year 2.

    Fuente is a stud and Richt is doing a great job in year 1.

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  10. This game was the negative image of the Clemson game… all the Panther play makers in that historical win forgot to bring their lunch to the big Apple .. George the Animal trips
    JC stopped on a short plunge
    NP intercepted- bad decision
    QH fumbles again
    Orndoff 2 drops and offsides
    Officers snaps off target
    Blewitt-blue it
    Piss pour tackling
    Injuries to key players
    A couple of questionable calls

    We never got hold of Ole “Mo”

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  11. Upitt, You and I are on the same page. Lots of starters graduating at key positions and another OC coming in all speak to another learning curve. I’m learning more toward six wins. Next year will be interesting. Year 3 for PN should tell us a lot……..

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  13. No one knows for sure. We could have beaten OKST and UNC with a little more confidence in Peterman.
    No one saw the Clemson game coming.
    No one saw the mistakes and injuries of the bowl game coming.
    That is why you play the games.

    I think 7 is a good over/under number, the same as I picked this year.

    A lot will depend on how all the new guys gel and how quickly.

    Also injuries always play a role, either for us or our opponents.

    Good thing we didn’t lose Peterman till the very end. Good choice for MVP.

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  14. Matt Canada might be leaving but he isn’t taking his playbook with him. Football plays are football plays, no matter who is wearing the mic as OC. I think we are going to do immensely well on offense next season, especially with a relatively easier schedule. The key will be our defense.

    On to ACC basketball! HTP!

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  15. Bobby, good coaches also know when to call the plays. It is a chess game. Canada called a lot of plays at the right time. But the players still have to execute the play.

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  16. Good article.

    For whatever reason – to one who was there at YS opinion – our kids were not focused at the start of the game, their kids came to play. Our kids didn’t even come out on the field early – theirs were out their 2 hours prior getting a feel for the turf, walking the whole field with no Pitt player or coach in evidence until about 75 minutes prior to the game.

    Our players got tight when bad things started to happen (68 yard run from 1 yard line after we failed to put it in 2 downs in a row…that play set the tone and we never fully recovered – you could see and feel it in the stadium) and just made things get worse, and theirs got looser and looser and were obviously having fun…hence the ridiculous rockette dance on the sideline by their 3rd and 4th string players.

    The chance of injury is higher when one is not focused 100% of the time on things around them. Football is a dangerous sport – I think a fully focused and involved JC does not let himself get blindsided away from the play.

    There were just too many damn distractions leading up to the game. The demand on JC’s time had to have cut into his prep time and mental sharpness. He is a hero in so many ways not related to football – but he is still a young man who perhaps reached his limit after everything else that happened to him – he is not Superman after all.

    OCMC took days if not a week or more away from his prep time to focus on getting another job. HCPN had to have been distracted by this – 2cd year in a row he lost a key member of his coaching staff in the weeks prior to the bowl – and by the AD’s lack of focus on Pitt – instead ADSB was also focusing more on himself then the University. He for sure could have waited until January.

    HCPN is stubborn – and will never admit to being caught off guard by the opposing team’s game plan – but it was obvious he was out coached on this day. From NU’s focus on running the ball to their preparation on special teams to deny QH the ball to their out maneuvering (not overpowering imo – they did it through a great scheme) of our superior OL HCPN was simply out coached. He looked and acted as dazed by NU’s ‘shock and awe’ running attack as everyone else on the Pitt side of the field.

    Even the fans were overconfident and out of sorts – we were loud and rowdy and supportive until the end but the acoustics and layout of YS meant we were way far away from the field, unlike Heinz, and we just didn’t sound as loud as we were…it was confusing in a weird way. We were in the 3rd level but could not see or hear the fans below us – it was very very strange. Hell – we couldn’t understand a word the stadium announcer said – if he said anything at all.

    Call it SOP whatever the hell that is…call it bad luck…call it a curse…call it the fancy of the gods…call it pride before the fall; from once again drawing the Worst Possible referee’s and TV announcers to the sun never coming out on a bitingly cold day when predicted – everything seemed to go against Pitt…it was once again a seemingly perfect storm.

    Yet we almost won despite everything.

    H2P

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  17. Tommymac, good job. You rminded me of the short kickoffs. Why Narduzzi didn’t put receivers and running backs up to catch and run the short ones is beyond me.

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  19. I’m with GC, not sure how Pitt could be confident in any game giving up the points they have all year on defense. I do believe if we didn’t lose a number of our key players we would have won. Also keep in mind had we lost Peterman in game number 1 and kept the MacVittie Red Shirt in play we would have been lucky to win 3 games this year.

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  20. Let’s throw in another 2 changes in personnel for next year – kicker and long snapper.

    I’m normally optimistic regarding Pitt FB – If I were a getting man (and I’m not) I take the under next season at 4. I hope I’m really way off.

    BUT, we did best PSU this season.

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  22. Barvo – one thing I didn’t mentioned much was that on the morning of gameday HCPN benched DE Rori Blair as “the coaches decision” which means it was a disciplinary action. I made the point to the guy next to me in the press box after EJ Borghetti told us that was happening before them game that I didn’t have a good feeling about it. Later I said we could have used him in the 1st half, then again in the second half also.

    Now I know some Pitt fans don’t like a HC doing this, benching a key player right before a big game, but I salute Pat Narduzzi for doing so. This is the strong responsibility stance he has taken since arriving and he has remained consistent with it. Kudos to him for that.

    DW may not have done it the same way and Narduzzi’s decision may well have contributed to the good rushing afternoon NW had, I think it did actually, but he did it and stuck with it.

    It reminded me too much of PC’s first game were he suspended five players that morning and the team came out like they didn’t want to play. I called the loss against YSU as soon as I heard those suspensions that day because sometimes things happen in the locker room that have serious ripple effects. Especially when the rock is dropped in the pond right before the game itself.

    As the game wound down Wednesday I wondered if that same thing couldn’t have impacted the kid’s excitement before the bowl game started and thus the seemingly lack of energy from the start by our players.

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  23. Tremendous lack of speed on defense this year. If he can get comfortable with the defense next year I really like Briggs game. I was really impressed with the speed of Briggs to the ball on several occasions.

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  24. Next year Pitt beats YSU (not a given), Rice, UVA and cuse. Dogs in all eight other games IMO.

    I’m debating whether to invest in my golf game or season tickets –

    I need someone to convince me that next year could be a ten win season – that keeps me coming back – I don’t see it with the current personnel.

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  25. Reed – very well written summary – did you hear any talk about whom our next OC might be?

    Geep Chryst is currently unemployed if anyone cares…

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  26. Notre Dame: Memphis offensive coordinator Chip Long will be Notre Dame’s new offensive coordinator FootballScoop can confirm. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports was the first to report the news.

    Western Kentucky: Boise State receivers coach Junior Adams will be the new offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky reports Bruce Feldman. Sources tell FootballScoop the move is in the works (but not finalized) as well.

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  27. Beyond the poor play the thing that bothers me the most was our inability to get off the field. Allowing 3rd and 16, 3rd and 7, 3rd and 9….and of course the 4th down conversions. I’m will to bet if we were only able to get off the field the outcome, despite the poor play, would have been different.

    It’s going to be a loooooong off-season.

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  28. Florida: Mike Locksley has agreed to join the Florida staff after Alabama’s playoff run. Prior to serving this season as an analyst at Alabama, Locksley spent the past four seasons at Maryland as offensive coordinator.

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  29. Utah: Assistant head coach/running backs coach Dennis Erickson is retiring and co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick will not return, the Utes have announced.

    OC opening at Utah –

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  30. Temple: Coastal Carolina offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude will join the Temple staff in the same role, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and multiple reports. Patenaude spent five years at Coastal Carolina and previously coached at Georgetown. In addition, the paper reports Temple defensive line coach Elijah Robinson is up in the air about whether to remain at Temple or follow Matt Rhule to Baylor. It had previously been reported that Robinson would join Rhule.

    Western Kentucky: Northern Iowa co-offensive coordinator Ryan Mahaffey will join the WKU staff as tight ends coach, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. Mahaffey spent 2016 at UNI and previously worked with Mike Sanford Jr. at Notre Dame in 2015 as a graduate assistant.

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  31. Houston: Mississippi State co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson has been named offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach at Houston. Johnson spent three years at Mississippi State and previously worked at Utah for four years.

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  33. Gee Erie you hit on everyone but Pitt.

    No, there wasn’t much discussion about a new OC but there was a hell of a lot of talk, even before the game, about having Conklin back for a 3rd year. I’d say the consensus was that the wrong coordinator was leaving.

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  34. BTW – Nate Peterman ended the year #8 nationally in Passing Efficiency. He had a very good year for us and at 164.3 was better than any Pitt QB who played regularly but David Priestly who ended his career at 169.2.

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  35. Any of you guys ever get vertigo? Had 3 days of headaches and now off balance for a few days. Feels
    Like my head is loose.

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  36. Thanks Reed. I was wondering why I didn’t see Blair. I knew he had some injury problems the last few games and therefore wrongly assumed it had to do with injury.

    For those of you curious as to what a competent defense could have done to a Pitt opponent, Stanford has held UNC to 17 points and Trubisky to 164 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT late in the 3rd. Stanford ranked #51 in passing yards allowed in FBS 2016. Trubisky threw for 453 and 5 TDs against Pitt. UNC had been playing from behind since early in the 2nd.

    @EE Good point regarding kicker next year. Blewitt has indeed won some games but has also some terrible misses that played a big part in some losses.

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  38. I don’t care who the next OC is as long as they don’t change the play language. I think the uproar over Canada and Barnes leaving played a huge part in the utter lack of focus. Ask any gambler…coaching transition is a great bet any time it happens.

    I’ve given Narduzzi a pass while he learns ( on our dime) how to be a head coach. I drove my Pitt friends nuts all year asking why we don’t play another QB …you never know…and then it happens and Dinucci even said, “it’s been a longtime since I’ve seen live action!”

    No more free pass for Narduzzi from me! Pitt needs a real HC. Someone who can put a decent D on the field, get players focused for games, handle in game decisions better than DW, recruit and prepare his team to look like a big time NCAA D-1 team. So far. Meh

    Get us a decent OC and let this be the last bowl game we STB!

    Miami, VA Tech and other ACC teams are way ahead of Pitt. We seem to be going backward.
    That was an awful performance on Tuesday.. No more F’n excuses!

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  39. While we are at it – why are our guys the one slipping on the field of play all the time? -Aston and QO are two that come to mind at the baseball field.

    Someone who attended the game said NU was in the field 2 hours before game time and they walked the entire field to inspect conditions.

    Pitt showed up 70 minutes prior to the start – makes you wonder. It sure doesn’t cost much money to arrive 50 minutes earlier and inspect the field so you have the correct spikes on your shoes.

    Wait, but it does cost you in the win column.

    I’m ticked if you haven’t notice.

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  40. Hoping Pitt picks a top notch OC quickly, with ènough of a reputation To bring a few good recruits with him. We need some positive energy around the program.

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  42. Upitt
    Vertigo with a headache .. could be sinus infection.
    Vertigo without a headache .. there are head movement exercises that may correct it.

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  43. Speaking of OC Canada, I would have liked to have seen him leave the room with Narduzzi’s bootprint on his ass the minute he turned in his notice. He was no help in this game, and was possibly a liability. And hopefully, contrary to what Narduzzi said, the search for a new OC was started long before the bowl game. (I assume it was).

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  44. First time poster here. I have really enjoyed the articles & the posts on these sites over the years (Blather, Cardiac Hill, Etc.) but never chimed in. It is kinda therapeutic for me rather than breaking remotes, coffee tables, etc. every time SOP rears it’s ugly head. I bleed blue & gold but it never gets any easier. Especially living in Penn State country. This loss was one of the hardest (well at least top 10) to take in recent years IMO. A chance to be ranked in the top 20 at the end of season, beating a Big 10 team for the second time this season, and probably a pre-season top 25 ranking for next year. But no, we crap the bed. Will it ever get any better?

    Welcome aboard and don’t hesitate to jump in with your comments..

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  45. The effort was clearly not there by the players or the coaches – Nard putting in the 3rd string QB instead of trying to win (though DiNucci has no arm he did throw one Td, ripped off a long run and had Orndoff drop a perfect TD pass). Unless it involves a nice warm climate Pitt can shove ice bowls. I made a great decision in not altering my schedule to go – a good bowl ? ha. To quote Clint Eastwood “Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Interesting about Pitt not coming out early, thanks for the observation Tommymac – it was clear watching the game nobody’s head from Pitt was in it. This routinely happened in the glory years of the 70s – play Temple like we were too good for them and damn near lose. Hello Pitt football players and coaches you have to give everything on every play; every game!!!. YOU ARE NOT NATIONAL CALIBER.

    Reed one point I disagree with you is the head shots. I NEVER argued it affected the game yet you take my and other comments redefine them to make a point which is cheap (no offense but you sound like an attorney on that and as one i know if you cant win an argument redefine it) – it was inexcusable conduct that should have led to calls and suspensions. Unless of course you are advocating such conduct and you think it indicates a team more dedicated to winning to go for cheap shots to the head, It had little effect on the game but the officiating sucked and the announcers spent the whole game going on an on about NW. Pitt again go no respect – then again we didn’t earn it. In fact up to the point of their injuries JC and NP were not tearing up the joint but the head shots were inexcusable. Period.
    The result did come down to heart, we had none and NW did. They destroyed us in the trenches, dropped balls and interceptions are a lack of concentration. NW wanted to get their 2nd bowl victory – In their history, They came out, kicked our ass and got it.
    With all the OCs hired we look like a joke in not moving on this as well – maybe we are waiting till after Georgia plays to bring back Doughboy (sarcasm), This job may be too much for Narduzzi.

    I will buy my season tickets as I have since 1990 and will go to at least one road game but at that joke of a stadium I will feel free to boo my a$$ off rather than silently sit through another year of the defense.
    HAIL TO PITT..

    RKB – I wasn’t thinking of you at all when I wrote that. I just didn’t want to get into the weeds of the play and calls because we did that in the game thread.

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  46. Pitt might as well pack it in and go D-2. I see little commitment for what it will truly take to be competitive in the ACC from our mighty Chancellor and carpetbagger AD.

    Show me the MONEY!

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  49. Bandito I could not agree more – you don’t want to be here – bye bye. And Gallagher bragging in today’s paper that BArnes would be on the job till February. Doing what Pat? Scratching his balls? Packing up his belongings with his dozen wives? Scheduling future games? Drinking with Upitt? (sorry uPitt) He should be outta here. This is why you have associate ADs. Don;t want to be here, call security, pack the boxes, escort out of the building. Canada and Herman were more of a distraction. SOP SOP SOP.

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  50. I’m sorry you live in Altoona surrounded by Pedos my Pitt fan and friend. At least its not West Virginy. Where there are no Virgins nor Vaginas in their women.

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  51. Upitt,
    When I struggled with vertigo it felt like gravity was coming from the side!
    Hence, I was being forced from right to left, like from 100 mph winds.
    You may have some other type of problem.
    Get it checked out buddy!

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  53. AltoonaPittfan… welcome… we are like an AA group…this is a happy room for those addicted to irrelevant Pitt football… please keep adding your 2 cents

    Liked by 1 person

  54. Like I said yesterday, look for Mike Yurich as the next OC unless Boone Pickett comes up with some more big bucks. Currently he makes $400K. He grew up 50 miles from Youngstown, OH, graduated from U of California, PA (where Pitt sends its disciplinary problems), coached at Shippensburg University, and wife who graduated from a PA college is from PA. After four years the magic that is Stillwater, OK can get old.

    link to his bio: http://www.okstate.com/coaches.aspx?rc=23

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  55. rkb… are you having a meltdown … like the wicked witch… get a drink and get ready for the Criminoles and the Wolverines… Carolina especially Trubisky shit a bigger pile than we did!

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  56. I wouldnt have a drink with that Munster headed Sum Bitch if Johnny Majors poured it himself. Yes, you show him the fucking door and give him a few hours and adios. No balls. Run it like a business gallagher not a soup kitchen.

    Thanks yes feel
    Like sideways gravity sometimes.

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  58. AltoonaPittfan, I remember you from the Blather. Welcome to insane reality show here….

    UPitt, I thought it might be a sinus infection too. Inner ear thing….maybe you caught it it from one of the many Pitt players who had the same thing on Wednesday.

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  64. Rkb. Your best work ever!!

    I am still furious about the loss and the Pitt football situation in general. Herrman still here?? And welcomed to stay by Gallagher til Feb??Does he get a BJ daily from a cheerleader also? YGTBFKM!

    I’m getting like Erie. I am playing some of the best golf of my life. Maybe it’s time to put my $$ elsewhere from Pitt Football and concentrate on golf.

    Erie, maybe we can combine the two for one weekend in early Fall. Pittsburgh has some of my favorite courses.

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  66. Dan, it seems like Pitt coaches for the last 20 years have been mostly interested in letting the players be rewarded with a good time on their bowl trips instead of preparing them for the game.

    It’s terrible they do this and send the seniors out with a loss in their last game. Plus they wind up looking like crap to the NFL scouts. Conner & Orndorf looked terrible if I’m a scout. It takes the wind out of recruiting and screws the fans who go to the games.

    Someone better wake up soon….

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  67. Hey Reed… how about the POV open ? We could put together a golf tourney the day of a game for all the POV golfers who continue to be frustrated beyond words with Pitt Football. $$ proceeds to charity.

    I know the $$ thousands I send to Pitt often feels like I’m giving to charity !! Might as well do the real thing!

    At least we don’t have to worry about our basketball coach learning how to be a HC on our dime! Wait til you see what Pitt does to ND tomorrow!

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  69. I must have heard 10 times that the reason Michigan is getting waxed is because Peppers is out. Ridiculous…

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  70. I’m disappointed with the bowl game performace, but taking a step back, Narduzzi has won 8+ games in his first two seasons with an 11-5 conference record.

    He has the benefit of the 12 regular season games and inflated bowl schedule, but otherwise, that hasn’t happened around here since Foge Fazio.

    I am concerned that the defense did not improve from last year to this year…or over the course of this season. It would have been great to finish 9-4. But I believe that the overall results of the last 2 seasons are more than solid. Pitt beat two Top 5 teams this year for crissakes. The future still appears to be better than what we’ve had for most of the last 35 years. In my opinion, the bowl loss just puts Pitt’s rebuild closer to “on schedule” instead of “ahead of schedule”.

    H2P

    Like

  71. Some thoughts Re AD search & making things better, all IMHO

    Pitt doesn’t need a fundraiser person – they need a top notch 5 star PR brown-noser to win back the conference suits who assign refs and bowl games; to kneel at the feet of ESPN to get back in their favor; to butter up the PG and Trib to get some modicum of respectful print coverage locally; to kick some serious ass at the ‘Flagship Radio Station’ The Fan and straighten them out & to verbally mug Ron Cook until he gets down on his weak ass knees and kisses Pitt’s (who pays his salary) ass for once or gets off the airwaves for good; and to kiss the common fans butt with promotions and make ‘offers you can’t refuse’ ticket deals to woo them back in the fold and into the empty yellow seats.
    We will never evah raise a lot of $$$ from alum and the general public until we get the public relations and image needed to do that. Hell, instead of spending $$ on search firms we need to spend that money on a great PR firm…
    No personal disrespect but using an ad-hoc ‘Fan Experience Committee’ to come up with ways to make the Pitt experience better is like hosting an amateur talent show in your back yard…hire professional people whose meal ticket is shit like that – we are a P5 University, right?
    We should send our chancellor into ‘The Shark Tank’. Anyone ever ask Mark Cuban if he’d be interested in a part time job as AD/PR Mogul? Give him 50% of the concession and parking take for the next 20 years….

    H2P

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  73. That was Northwestern’s SUPERBOWL and they fought all out for their SECOND BOWL WIN…..EVER in that game vs. ranked Pitt who beat two top five teams. Did you SEE Pat Fitzgerald’s post game interview??

    Pat Fitzgerald for this game vs. Pitt was Pat Narduzzi for Pitt vs. pswho and Clemson and for those who keep whining and moaning like their usual broken-record selves (lol 🙂 ) you’re just making yourself miserable and negative, so joke’s on you 😉 haha.

    **There is constant CRYING in Pitt-Fandom for the same 3 posters over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and…… lol

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  74. No offense TommyMac…we don’t need Mark Cuban to make a better fan experience at Ketchup Bottle.

    A couple of us of here and the Blather could figure that out….in a New York minute.

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  76. ^^^^courtesy of You Know VERY-WELL Who 😉 — Turn those frowns upside down, grab a Kleenex to wipe off those streaming tear-drops, punch that musician playing the sad violin in the face and smash that violin like you’re Jimmy Hendrix destroying a Guitar after a Sick-Solo —- and GET BACK ON THE #HailToPitt you certain guys.

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  77. One final thought on the new AD. Gallagher pick someone with balls and who will tell it like it is. Canada goes to LSU – “today OC Canada decided to take another position at LSU, we wish him well. , Effective immediatey he is no longer at Pitt for interviews, effective immediately contact LSU” We get stuck with another Pinstripe Bowl ” Today we were offered and refused to insult our fans and players to attend yet another Northern Ice Bowl. At the University of Pittsburgh we expect to perform at the highest level and will settle for nothing less including our treatment by others. Good luck to the Pinstripe Bowl. We have expressed our continued displeasure to the ACC and will not comment on discussions we have had with any other major conference,” BALLS AND NO BULLSHIT.
    I haven’t picked up a club in 17 years but I would drink and shoot double bogies with you guys anywhere.
    H2P
    This is therapeutic. Darkie this is better than those pills they give you. 🙂 🙂 🙂 (just for you friend) Idont know how he gets a that other stuff in – cut and paste,
    Finally – help an old techno idiot, when commenting in a game thread is there a way for it to auto refresh rather than hitting the refresh button every 30 seconds? In case I get to intoxed tomorrow, Happy New Year..

    Like

  78. Nice rkb…..Pitt really needs to grow some balls. And soon.

    Really tired of being dissed by the Fan, the Pedo-Gazette, the Trib, ESPN, the ACC Network (those dweebs were even pulling for Duquesne in the City Game), the Bowls, and everyone else.

    If we don’t grow some balls soon….i am questioning my ability to continue to support my own school.
    Because it is so self-defeating in more ways than just one.

    Like

  79. F*ck the ACC. It really isn’t working out. Does anyone think it’s going to get better. Outside of winning the conference and being Undefeated and maybe getting a playoff spot. We are in for a cacophony of putdowns and Tier 3 bowl games from the yahoo’s who run the ACC.

    At the moment we have an alternative, but that soon will pass.

    Pitt will always be the red-headed step-child in the ACC.

    Like

  81. They’re still whining about Peppers being out….man. I didn’t hear a word about Peterman, our nose tackle & Conner being out as an excuse in our game.

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  82. @TX_Panther
    Hate the university (WVU) all you want, but some of us Pitt guys actually come from the state of WV. Some restraint would be appreciated.

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  85. I understand that refs, injuries and just plain bad dumb luck are just excuses. mmm… Anyone ever hear of a valid excuse?

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  87. Speaking of the POV Open and raising money for charity… I participate every year in a Golf tournament in Pinehurst North Carolina hosted by current and former FBI agents – it’s called the 007. Purpose is to raise money for college scholarships. This is done through a auction of items donated by the individuals playing.. last years the 007 raised nearly 25k ..88 players participated.. winners get their name on the”Cup” Three days of fun golf, heavy drinking and great fellowship
    Guys donate game tickets, autografted sporting equipment, donate nice rental properties, paintings , gift baskets and the list goes on…

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  88. Suggestion for POV golf outing, contact Karl at Quicksilver. Great course, reasonable, pretty easy to get to. Would be lots of fun!

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  89. Dan72 – brilliant idea. We may try a sample round in the Spring if it fits our schedules. I have never attended a Pitt Spring game –

    Enjoy the ND tonight – good things usually come in threes – beat the Irish, announce the hiring of the new OC and AD.

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  90. New stadium
    New AD, chancelor, coaches
    New uniforms
    New conference
    New city media

    …only one solution, make Johnstown the main campus and start over, lol.

    SOP fans

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  91. All I can say is WOW!

    Narduzzi wins 8 games two years in a row, beats Clemson and PSU, in a very tough season.

    For the maybe the first time is beaten by a team we should have beat, with lots of individual miscues, and head trauma, and the rats are ready to jump ship

    Some of you guys need to hoist your big boy panties.

    But I hear comments like, no more donations from me, I’m selling my season tickets, we need to leave the ACC because they don’t love us, next year is going to be terrible. The coach didn’t have them ready, they didn’t look like they wanted to be there. The media is mean to us. Are you guys mind readers? And ladies why do a bunch of football fans spend so much time talking about uniforms, when most your wives buy your clothes for you? But let’s talk some more about how an OCS is going to save Pitt Football.

    How bout we grow a pare.

    This game was a minor blip in the shitstorm that has been Pitt football for thirty years.

    Pitt Fans are their own worst enemies, terrible attendance after we beat Clemson, and constant criticism, of our teams. Sometimes justified, but more often than not just bellyaching and sour grapes.

    Help me out Dr. Tom!

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  92. I’ll be game for a POV Open for sure but someone else would have to do logistics, etc. Sounds like a blast

    I’m in the process of drafting a letter to Pitt about the football program. Take a moment to bullet list one thing you think is possible to do in short order to improve the program and make it better internally and for fans.

    Tommymac, I will include your thoughts…

    Thanks

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  93. Pitt OC cockiness in having O’Neill trying a pass near the goal line seemed to me to be the height of disrespect for NW’s defense, which was not fooled at all by the stupid “trick” play. Then there was Aston tripping or slipping as he ran for a wide open trip to the goal line. JC unable to bull his way into the end zone. Too many early omens that it was not Pitt’s day to win. And still we lost by only 7. Was it only me, but it seemed that James was confused or down about something even before his head injury when he was away from the play when he got decked? Under Coach Pat it seems that bye weeks and bowl prep weeks have not resulted in any wins in two years. Anything there?

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  94. Let’s be honest with one detail here: the ACC did not screw Pitt with the Pinstripe Bowl. Pitt was the 7th best ACC team this year.

    Some of the same people who hate the idea of participation trophies are the ones who think Pitt should have been gifted a better bowl.

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  95. Oh yes, the QB sneaks for NW’s 4th down gambles and short yardage tries worked beautifully. I seemed to recall them working for Peterman in other games. Not tried once on short tries by Pitt against NW. Another play calling blunder by outgoing OCMC?

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  96. DKF Pitt beat the Big winner and a team in the Pllayoffs. We got a “top Tier” bowl which sucked. You wish to settle for less and head to an ice bowl go right ahead, I would refuse to go to that joke of a bowl. – ND used to do that. I dont keep my head in the sand and write what I think. But I will be glad to send you a participation trophy if that makes you happy.
    Reed when you send your letter i hope it is to more than Hernam because that would head straight to the circular file which is why this idea of sticking around is a joke

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  97. @rkb:

    It’s one thing to complain about getting shafted, but you have to make an argument. Why should Pitt have been given a better bowl ahead of Miami, Va Tech, or UNC when they lost to ALL of those teams and finished behind ALL of them in the standings?

    I guess the only possibility would be the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, which would be a better destination, but is a “2nd tier bowl” and Pitt fans would not travel there compared to NYC. Maybe you would also turn that one down?

    It seems most Pitt fans were fine with partying in NYC before the game and not so much afterward.

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  98. What we really don’t know is Barnes personal issues. If they are real and I assume they are, it is OK for him to stay through a transition. If it were just a cover, he would have been shown the door.

    DJF, some Pitt fans always think Pitt is being screwed.

    Justin, always easy to criticize individual play calls that don’t work, the O’Neil plays worked all year, someone missed a block and the play was blown up. I agree that are execution was not sharp, and we had a lot of bad luck. Aston was rarely stopped all year, but he slipped when it counted most. “Shit Happens”

    Is it the execution or the play calling? In this case I say execution.

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  99. I’m in for the POV Open! I don’t live near the ‘burgh so someone has to set it up. But, if rather spend a few bucks to get frustrated at my golf game than the hundreds I usually spend to get frustrated the big ketchup bottle. H2P and God Help Us All.

    Happy New Year to all!

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  100. Really hard to think of one thing that could make the PITT game a better experience that’s actually feasible in short order. I enjoy good seats but I’m always looking at the student section tucked away in the end zone. I hear them roar but it sounds like it’s coming from the casino. I doubt the PITT administration would be willing to move them behind the home bench but I think that and even better transport to and from the game may begin to build a better student section. Plus more lipstick at Heinz. (better endzone/logos decor. I really believe that the students and the newer grads are one key in the cog. Also, possibly give them a tailgate right in the prime area around the stadium instead of the underpasses. Out of sight and out of mind….ike

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  101. @ gc, you don’t need my help, you said it quite eloquently in your own post.

    If Pitt’s football roster was filled with the likes of these so called Pitt fans that have been whining about the game for the past two days we couldn’t win a football game against the Pittsburgh School for the Blind. The only thing left of SOP around here is the shitty attitude of it’s fans!

    What a bunch of dickless crybaby losers. You don’t deserve this football team. Go root for penn state because you suck.

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  102. DKF clearly you are a ped state troll so let me explain this in words that even a pedophile protector such as yourself understands.
    The Pinstripe Bowl is a shit bowl. It exist primarily as a place for the ACC to stick the Yankee teams from the North. I cant wait to see fans from Ga, NC, and Florida flock north to attend that bowl in cold shitty weather. I will also admit that I may well be in a minority that hates anything NYC. New York is a city that looks down their noses at Pittsburgh and any other city. I will never go to NY or Chicago on a vacation. Sure the money they have gives them better museums and shows but I myself will not lower myself to giving ;them money. Do you think they appreciate the visitation – you make me laugh. Take for example the great artist Andy Warhol who left Pittsburgh and never came back to this podunk town while alive. Pgh proving it was dumb built a museum for him – NYC didnt. Add to that I met the infamous Warhola family (yeah he dropped the podunk a) I prosecuted and convicted his nephew Marty for fencing stolen nuclear reactor parts – he and his family laughed at the stupidity of Pittsburgh podunks. (Andy was a great avante garde artiste).. I HATE NEW YORK. I would rather go to the Bahama Bowl and place one of those East/West Name th State schools. The Yankee Bowl played at a baseball stadium, in a northern city, in bad weather is the F U bowl for the ACC. (Sorry Suthren POVrs but the Civil War is still being fought by some). As AD I would not attend another ice bowl until all the southern schools have done so. ha ha’ Apparently Pitt players and coaches felt the same.
    So dont worry DKF I am have your pedticipation trophy made – it will be the three Joe Pa trolls – hear no cries of kids, see no anal rape, speak only in lies. It is on the way with my sincerest wish that you post more than once a year. Are you this Boo Boo I hear of?

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  103. We lost that game. Northwestern is a nothing team. We did nothing right, the officiating was brutal. The Peterman call was one of the worst calls of all time. It would have been first and goal and not 3 and 30. The injuries were to key players. Nothing went right just like at Clemson everything went right the last 6 minutes. Just one of those games. We have had games where we just played poorly and lost but this was epic across the board (like Houston in the fourth quarter) and disheartening because we all thought SOP was over.

    Now, having Barnes stay is insane and Canada should have been shown the door in hindsight. He called a terrible game. Even though the Aston/Conner plays were the turning point, the O’Niell throw was plain stupid. If you were going to run an “O’Niell play, the “run” or “catch” plays worked in the past and “throw” play did not, why use the one play that did not work as opposed to the two plays that did work. The reason, because he was more interested in showing that his play could work than winning the game at PITT. Canada had a great year but he showed he is all about himself on that play and explains why is somewhere new every year and was fired from NC State for consistently looking for other jobs.

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  106. rkb, what is it with you calling people Penn State Trolls or Nitters.

    You got to do better than that.

    Last year people wanted the Pinstripe bowl over the Military Bowl.

    While we would have loved to play Stanford or WV, UNC and Miami, did beat us.

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  108. ….and I also agree with EDR, took the words right out of my mouth. PITT would have better off going without both of the lame ducks. O’Neils play was as Dick Groat would say a terrible terrible call that was just awful.

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  109. Happy New Year fellow POVers!
    Reed, I’ll give you two bullet points. One for the team and one for the Fan experience…

    Equipment management has to be more aware of field conditions to adapt appropriately and prevent the slips that seem to occur at the most costly times for Pitt.

    Tarp off the top level of Heinz for regular games with a Bold Pitt Script Tarp which can be removed for better selling games, to create a more intimate game atmosphere.

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  110. Dr Tom… I vehemently disagree with you but even if I grant you your point, that we were beaten by a better team, it’s our coaching staff and players job to beat more talented teams! See Clemson, PSU!

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  111. Trick plays are part of the game, it got blown up. The flea flicker worked. Neither one had much to do with our loss. Plays that cost us big were Henderson’s two fumbles, Aston’s stumble, Conner not getting paydirt, NP’s very poor decision/throw, the motion penalties etc. All good play calls, poor execution.

    The other thing that cost us big was the high percentage of third and 4th down pick-ups.

    We just didn’t make big plays when they were needed on both sides of the ball.

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  112. At the risk of getting blasted, I went to the Pinstripe Bowl and although it was cold, I enjoyed it. How about we win a few bowl games before complaining about the bowl we get.

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  114. Dr Tom…. you remind me of the guy at an AA meeting who stands up and says “everything is fine, let’s all go and have a drink!”

    Get over yourself!

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  115. Dan 72, I must have missed something, where did Tom say we were beat by a better team?

    My point was that we lost a game due to our own miscues and injuries. But somehow that becomes a sky is falling Pitt will never be any good bitch session about the whole program. We lost a game that we should have won, it happens, frustrating yes, but not the end of the world. As you mentioned, we did beat PSU and Clemson. I for one would not trade those wins for a win vs NW. We had a bad game, we don’t need to leave the ACC.

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  116. @Reed two points for your letter:
    1) I live in suburban Youngstown, less than 60 miles from Heinz and this past shopping season could not find 1 Pitt hat, shirt, blanket, sticker etc. Yet I could find anything Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, West Virginia–this is a problem. Youngstown area has TONS of Steeler, Penguins, and Pirate fans it’s an untapped resource that Pitt has refused to reach out to. Much easier to get tickets and drive to Heinz then Columbus, South Bend, Morgantown etc yet Pitt has NEVER reached out to the casual fan in Northeast Ohio. This is why I am pushing for Tressel–he can instantly connect Pitt with this untapped area of potential fans and $$$.
    Second–the tarp needs to happen for low attended games it is just embarrassing to see huge swabs of yellow on tv, also I would student section and band to the entire end zone instead of corner.

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  117. gc, I know you get it but about the trick play. Yea I loved them throughout the year and would have loved the O’Neil play if it worked. My problem was with the timing. Seemed to me that Canada took NW for granted at that early part of the game. Hindsight, I wish he was in Baton Rouge at the time.

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  118. Like to get an estimate on the cost of tarping off the upper decks. I’ll bet that will cost a lot of more money than some may think. My first thought would be to just give the tickets away but I really don’t think they could find the people to take them, even for free. Unless you also give them free transportation and a food and beer voucher for $50……and even then. 😦

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  119. We currently have (2) foursomes interested in the Pitt POV Open – or if each POVer brings their own foursome, we have (32).

    I’d bet the out of towners would not be bringing a foursome, so I’ll stick with (8) total golfers for now. I’d be willing to organize a Spring game test round – anyone interested in assisting? (Joeknew – I’ll check out Quicksilver – thanks).

    On the OC search front – no news out of Pittsburgh for Canada’s replacement…

    Fresno State: Eastern Michigan offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and offensive line coach Ryan Grubb are joining Jeff Tedford’s staff.

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  120. Just my opinion, but I think our players choked under the pressure, against a team they were supposed to beat. NW had nothing to lose and when Pitt started to make mistakes, it just steamrolled. Then the TKO’s finished them off. Our players knew how important this game was to the program, I don’t think Canada took NW for granted and I think he called an excellent game, with better execution on a few plays we win handily. The turning point was the goal line stand, when Aston slipped and Conner was stopped, NW knew they could win, and our boys scrotums tightened considerably.

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  121. Have followed this site for many years, but haven’t wrote anything in a while , but I felt I needed to post something I noticed the other day. Wednesday evening, the day of our bowl loss, I happen to have on WTAE channel 4 news. The sports come on and this is the order of succession. Penguin game results, West Virginia Bowl highlights, announcement about Penn State player suspensions, and then Pitt bowl highlights. Anyone else feel this is a little out of whack for a hometown team. When the sports started I thought I may have missed the Pitt highlights cause they may have shown them at the beginning of the newscast. I couldn’t believe we were last to be seen. I understand we have other teams and stories in this town, but this was a bowl game! And we’re not talking about a Steeler or Penguin playoff victory, we’re talking about another college team an hour away and one that’s 3 hours away that didn’t even play that day! Now I know some may say its not that big of a deal, we still saw the highlights, but I think there has to be an underlying story here. To get this team to where everyone wants, we could use a little help from our “hometown” media. Someone within the university needs to have a serious sit down with these media types and get everyone on board.

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  122. Just to be clear, not only calling out the fans on this one. I’m also not giving Pitt a pass on this Northwestern loss either, NW didn’t win, Pitt lost this game.

    If I’m Narduzzi I don’t let anybody off the hook on this one except the guys who were knocked out on the concussion protocol.

    First off, I’d throw myself under the bus for failing to impress on my team how important this game was. To be champions EVERY GAME is important. Second I’d be sure that I reinforced to the kids how bad it feels to lose, because you have to get your players to absolutely hate to lose. So much so that it becomes a driving force for them to get better every day so as to avoid that awful feeling as much as possible. Third, I’d point out down the road, when reviewing film with the younger players, each and every key play that was missed, explaining how every tiny detail that is left unattended can mushroom into a game lost. A bobbled handoff that prevents Conner from extending the ball over the goal line for a TD, a simple unforced slip that negates a sure TD run. A perfect pass that is dropped because it’s not looked all the way into his hands, one man out of position that permits a 70+ TD running play by the opposition.

    These lessons are there to be learned by this team that Narduzzi is assembling. That’s not coaching by negative example, that’s just coaching! Pitt had this one! Pitt was the team that beat themselves and NW took advantage of those multiple miscues.

    This team under Narduzzi is learning how to win. This lesson should not be wasted. Come in unprepared, over confident and unfocused and more times than not, you will get beat.

    Narduzzi should ask his kids to compare the highs of how the team felt after games like PSU & Clemson against how they felt on Wednesday evening. Get them to detest that defeated feeling!

    When he has produced a team full of kids that never ever want to experience that horrible depression of defeat, only then will he have a team full of players with an attitude that a star like James Conner possesses, one that a will to do whatever it takes to be successful, to be champions!

    Winning is a choice. It’s a decision that is made during every one of the 362 days of the year that you’re not playing in game that produces that champion.

    The SOP teams of the past that I’ve witnessed necer wanted to make that commitment, that’s why they were SOP. Narduzzi is changing that culture. Better players are coming into the program to start with, but they must be trained to be champions mentally first. We dropped the ball in that regard on Wednesday. This team though, will bounce back from this loss. I know they will. Learn the lesson! Next year Pitt will be better than this one was, if they do.

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  123. Welcome shooter – point well taken. I mentioned the other day that the two burgs news rags do the same thing.

    Twice in the last week Jerry D of the Trib mentioned Pitt having ONLY (1) four star recruit for 2017 (per Rivals). The other three sites show 2 to 4 recruits with four stars. That is showing a biased opinion in the MOST negative way, however subtle you may think.

    It creates an impression in the Pittsburgh region that does NOT help Pitt. Whether intentional or not…

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  124. EE – Im in for golf and will bring 4 including me if in PA. Love to do one in FL, TX, GA SC in Future.

    Reed – Our logo is WAY to small at the 50. Get Dinocat off the face of the earth. Endzones Suck and wuit playing that gay ass sweet caroline. Burn the uniforms. Hire a real d1 baseball coach.

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  125. I would have preferred the Sun, but the Pinstripe is frankly a credible bowl for what this team accomplished. An 8-4 regular season and a 4th place finish in the Coastal after all H2H tiebreakers are applied. And sadly, losing to NW is a good way of cementing the idea that they didn’t necessarily deserve much better.

    I do agree that the ACC has slipped the Pinstripe into their Tier 1 so that the decent but not great Northern team can get shipped there, but it’s hard to blame them when Pitt, Syracuse, and Boston College have a long history of not traveling. I wish it weren’t the case, but sending Pitt or BC to a top bowl (given historical ticket sales) is a good way to lose a tie-in with that top bowl when re-negotiations come up. Hopefully Pitt has opened some eyes with bowl ticket sales the last two seasons. Would love for the 2015 and 2016 sales to be indicative of a permanent change in Pitt fan support, but it’s more likely a case of having a bowls that are “driveable”.

    I will be interested to see where the team is sent in 2017 if they can manage another “Tier 1 but not NY6 season”…especially with Notre Dame likely factoring into the equation.

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  126. And to you guys saying herman may have family issues etc. well
    No shit. He is 55
    Years old. You think he and his wife from West Coast wont have aging parents. That was to be expected and why you dont hire a guy from that part of the country because that shit does come up. Im not saying it is even valid or if he does. It doesnt matter you hire folks with family bear the destination. That hire was SOP. Lets hire a smug fuck who shits on everyone bc he performed the worlds worst hire. Other than soccer pele who won 2 games.

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  127. @rkb:

    Your gutless attempt at using insults and incoherent ramblings to “prove a point” are pathetic and require an apology. Do you call all Pitt fans PSU pedophile enablers when they disagree with you? I spend too much time laughing at those freaks to be called one myself. Pardon me for being optimistic throughout the season and having the opinion that Pitt got the bowl they deserved this year.

    I will respect Reed’s request to keep comments civil and simply ask you one more time if you would have rejected/accepted a TaxSlayer Bowl invite and for what reasons.

    I wouldn’t strip Taleni of a chance to experience NYC because of my own Napoleon complex if I were you. I would use the bowl as an opportunity to improve next year’s team in any way I could. Pitt is not better than any bowl. It has nothing to do with participation trophies.

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  128. Civility out the window because of a loss in the Pinstripe Bowl? Civility out the window from a silly loss to NW in the now infamous Pinstripe Bowl? I surely hope not!

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  129. Reed – my two suggestions to improve the Pitt FB experience –

    First – hire an experience HC next time (I like HCPN and hope he stays for a long time at Pitt), but 10 wins should have happened this season.

    Second – hire a professional equipment manager or two and make them inspect the field two hours prior to every game, including the Spring game.

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  130. Reed: Thank you for reaching out to us readers for ideas regarding your letter to the program. This probably doesn’t qualify as new information for anyone, but the #1 issue holding this program back is home game attendance. This is not easily resolved, but we can never expect this team to get the recruits or the results that we need with 30,000 empty yellow seats for 6 of 7 home games.

    Would slashing ticket or concessions pricing help?
    Discounts for season ticket holders who increase the # that they buy?
    Further coaxing students to get on those buses (does UVA still do that 4th quarter scholarship thing?)?
    More proactive outreach to alumni within 100 miles of campus who are not ticket holders?
    Local schools to get the kids engaged?
    Can the Port Authority expand service to help fans get in and out of the North Shore more easily?
    Hell, can we pay homeless people $5 to sit in a seat, lol?

    What do teams such as the Washington Wild Things do? I’ve never been, but people rave about the fan experience and value of those games. They go despite not giving two shits about the result of the game.

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  133. Lots of interesting comments here. My take on Pitt Football the last few years has been that you go out on a date with one of those beautiful women that UPitt so kindly shared with us (thank you btw). You take her to a nice fancy restaurant, then to a club for some dancing, things are going great and she wants to go back to your place. But right when you are about to go, she leaves with the bouncer. Ouch…a real kick in the nuts. She calls a day later & apologizes, maybe set up a second date & get your hopes up, only to have it happen again. This is the emotional roller coaster Pitt Football has become over the last few seasons. Just hope we start having a lot more ups than downs as we move forward.

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  135. Altoona – perfect analogy. But bc it is Pitt and we donso many stupid things I need to make one change. She leaves with the hot girl bartender instead of a guy. A real shocker like hiring a douche from tha PNW for AD.

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  136. Purdue: Tony Levine will join Jeff Brohm at Purdue in same capacity as he had at WKU, coordinating special teams / co-OC & tight ends.

    Oregon: USF director of football operations Sharrod Everett will join Willie Taggart at Oregon as associate AD for football operations.

    Pitt: still no news being reported regarding filling the vacant OC and AD positions.

    Like

  139. Elon (NC): IUP head coach Curt Cignetti has accepted the head coaching job at Elon. Cignetti has gone 53-17 in six yeas at IUP, including three Division II playoff appearances. The son of Frank Cignetti Sr., Curt was previously Alabama’s wide receivers coach from 2007-10.

    Like

  140. UPitt – I was hoping to invite the new OC and AD to the Spring POV golf outing.

    Does Tim Salem golf? Anybody know?

    Like

  142. Haha – Maybe our early Fall POV Outing will work better. Haha.

    Guys I love PSU getting 6.5 Monday.

    OSU will kick Clemson’s ass.

    Bama will deatroy U Wash.

    Like

  143. “I apologize to the people that made the trip, fans, family,” Brett Bielema Arkansas HC said after losing to VA Tech. “We couldn’t close it out. I know it meant a lot to them. We had a couple guys (players) speak up at the end of my (post-game) talk, about guys moving on and coming back and what we need to do to move forward, because it’s not alright to accept it (losing the bowl game).”

    It’s not alright that Pitt lost to Northwestern – they did and I have similar feelings (that I don’t like) that are from Pitt FB experiences in the past 34 years.

    Like

  144. Matt Canada calling a decent game for LSU today vs Louisville. Up 23 – 6 midway through the 3rd qtr.

    Like

  145. Heard Mike Yurcich was given a generous contract extension at Okla state. I can’t find anything on this however…..
    Everyday that passes looks more and more like Salem to be next OC. Just like when Chryst waited so long then announced House.

    Like

  146. UConn: Athletic director David Benedict says he didn’t use a search firm to hire the head FB coach. Taken from an article as reported by Chris Vannini of coaching search.com

    Like

  147. Dinocat out
    Real panther in
    Tarp seats for all games!
    That will force demand.
    Have state reps force PSU to play yearly.
    If they refuse drop them permanently and move to wvu.

    Like

  153. Get a real panther ala LSU with the real tiger. Let him sit on sideline in a cage.

    Paint the fucking endzones. Stripe lines are like a Jr high league.

    Make the band look less dorky by removing dinocats off their outfits.

    Hire a HC in the future who has won. Dont go for a coordiantor on th cheap

    Give balls to the AD dept. the chancellor and new AD. Allowing herman to get a pay check and rot away while planning on OSU is what pussies do. Sick behavior from supposed leaders. We probably spent 200k relacating his fat ass only to love 15
    Months later

    Like

  156. ~ shooter11 +1

    Typical of the local pedo enthralled media. Pitt gets little respect from the National Media types, because it get’s no respect from even the local Pittsburgh media. The 2 go hand in hand.

    Like

  158. Oh, the field. Think there is a thing about same size as Steelers logo during season. Steelers didn’t do other end zone until our season was done. Is this a turf issue, as silly as that sounds? Anyone know for sure?

    Like

  159. I love the salty blather here. Shows me we are all passionate about Pitt. We all want whats best for alma mater or the team and school you love. Many ways to reach the promised land. But our Chancellor better have a solid plan. Our new AD better have a solid plan. Just sick and tired of wandering the desert for the past 30 years. If I have to view Upitts photos of some very hot women to get excited, we have a problem.

    Like

  163. I have the Tarhole game on the radio, they are turning over the ball like crazy. 20 turnovers to be exact.

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  164. UPitt love getting a tiger idea … we could paint him Beige and put 2017 on him in plucked up cathedral numerals… in remembrance of Barnes

    Like

  165. If the Pitt administration wants to play ‘big boy’ football…start acting like it!

    Quit teasing us fans. That ass clown Barnes should have been shown the door the minute he decided to leave. Back up the U-Haul & don’t let the door hit ya in the ass. As far as Canada goes, I guess he needed to coach the bowl game or else it could have been real ugly with someone else calling the plays. But then again, we the fans seemed to be the only ones that cared about the bowl game. Even though he did a great job with the offense this year, he chose to leave after one year for a ‘better’ gig.

    Sorry, but I hope he fails miserably at LSU for disrespecting Pitt & Narduzzi & not fulfilling his contract & obligations. I know, this happens all the time, especially to Pitt, but that is just how I feel. Any school that takes football seriously, would have made some changes to the defensive staff during the season based on their pathetic performance. For chrissakes, at least fire the DB coach. No way in Hell would Conklin be back for another season if we took football seriously. I really hate hearing about our run defense…remember we stacked the box & everyone had their way with us through the air.

    What are we in Pass defense…107th, 106th? You mean to tell me that over a 100 teams in the country that have more talent on their defenses to stop the pass…or at least slow it down. Gimme a break. With a ‘middle of the road’ defense we could have (would have) won 10 or 11 games. This is what is most frustrating to me about the whole season. When we start taking football seriously maybe the fans will show up, maybe the coaching carousel will stop, maybe the recruits will take notice & choose Pitt, and just maybe…we can become a perennial Top 10 team like I remember we were long ago!

    Like

  168. Altoona +1

    All talk and tweets from AD and Narduzzi. No action.

    You double Canadas salary before anyone came callingband extend him.

    Like

  169. Does Conklin’s recruiting value outweigh the pathetic performance this defense put forth this season? Remember…Wanny was a good recruiter!

    Like

  170. Altoona ..have to add Duzz to that equation as he won the Broyles award for assistant of the year and I believe he has a hand in the defensive side of the Panthers.. just don’t see him being a hands off coach where he feels he has expertise.. just made that statement because recruiting is the lifeblood to these programs and Conklin name is associated with quite a few recruits and he has Florida connections…

    Like

  172. I like Duzz. I think he is a good fit. I am real concerned though if he has a big hand in this defense!

    Like

  174. Like all hires, it doesn’t matter so much when it happens but if it is the right guy. A more lengthy search could mean a better candidate is found compared to the obvious choices.

    Like

  182. Chris Peterson former Pitt assistant.
    Upitt how about Stallings catching the ball before it went out of bounds.

    Like

  183. He is a moron. Thought he was catching a box of Rockports falling off the Men’s Work shoe Section.

    Like

  186. Unlike football, we DO NOT HAVE the right guy for hoops. Horrible hire and could really set hoops back to BC/GT status quickly in ACC

    Like

  188. From PSN –

    **Florida WR DJ Edwards who had been talking with Pitt and considered making an official visit made a verbal commitment today to Purdue.

    Purdue’s new HC recently hired an OC from high scoring W.Ky – Pitt currently does not have an OC.

    Like

  189. Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson will receive a $75,000 bonus for Tech’s bowl win over Kentucky, per USA Today.

    Other OC news –

    University of Mary (ND): Springfield College (MA) halfbacks coach Bobby Jones has joined the University of Mary staff as offensive coordinator. Jones spent three years at Springfield.

    Like

  190. Stallings has been a HC for how long, almost 30 years or something.

    And during ND’s decisive 12-0 run with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

    3 of the 5 Pitt players on the court were Milligan, Jones and Luther.

    That lost the game right there. The Cheery on the Top Coaching Gaffe, Pitt’s last play in
    regulation was designed by Stallings to give the last shot to Jones. unbelievable.

    Like

  191. Alabama guys so much bigger… do they ever leave the weight room to attend class? UPitt .. wait til he pulls the Ole Statue of Liberty out of his ass!!!

    Like

  192. He was quite lucky the refs didn’t also call him for interference in catching a ball along the sidelines that had not yet been blown dead by the refs. I guess they didnt want to show him up. Cause it clearly stopped the ND player from attempting to save the ball inbounds.

    Like

  193. Alabama is a great football team. And since I’m a dentist, I’m also a sucker for a beautiful smile. Mix that combo up together, throw in a mess of batons and this is what you get, three and a half minutes of paradise. Do you agree?

    Like

  194. Emel there was another time he had Kithcart and Milligan on the floor with no Artis or Young, recipe for disaster.

    Like

  197. Alabama with a safety 6’3″ and 220 lbs. Pitt with shrimps in the D backfield. Look no further why the Pitt D stunk.

    Like

  199. Scott Barnes: “Leaving Pitt for Oregon State ‘a no-brainer'”

    Un f’ing believable.

    He should be frog marched off Pitt Campus IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

    Like

  200. Erie, would be happy to help with the spring game golf outing. Can get a 4some for sure. 724-309-4343. I live near Freeport but will golf anywhere. Quicksilver is a quality course.

    Like

  201. Thanks – I’ll be in touch at some point. I need to look at my schedule for April 2017 and contact Quicksilver.

    Reed – do you know what weekend the Spring game is planned for? If not, can you ask EJ?

    Like

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